Mark Me With Your Love
by NancyBoy.87
Summary: The Doctor has something important to tell Clara whilst they're stuck upon the submarine. Rated T for a small part of this, which isn't very T at all... but just to play safe.


**Uploading this again. Some people liked it before. My own version of a Cold War fanfic. Do enjoy :)**

* * *

"It's just a bed - get in and stop whining"

"It's a bit… intimate" Worried, fiddling with his bowtie, the alien couldn't budge from the spot his feet were firmly stood upon in the middle of the room.

"I promise to keep as close to the wall as possible, and look-" Clara stuffed a pillow behind her. "A barrier, ok?"

"No, I'm fine here. Throw me the pillow"

"You'd rather rest on the hard, backache-inducing floor than cosy on this nice soft bed? Why?"

"Because…" His mind ticked over, flailing arms exaggerating his need to come up with a believable reason. "The bed is rather small and, as a gentleman, I insist you have the whole thing to yourself!" _'There, that ought to keep her quiet; show her a bit of the old Doctor charm'_

She tried to protest, ending the last attempt with a smile. So throwing him the pillow, she began to tease. "I see what you mean…" Her body wriggled slightly as she got comfortable, rolling to her side to face him. "Your long legs would get in the way" A little wink in his direction and he blushed all over again. "Goodnight Doctor"

When aware she'd finally drifted off to sleep, he offered his reply, "Goodnight Clara"

* * *

During the night, the little brunette tossed and turned her way through a nightmare, startling herself awake with a simple cry of the Doctor's name. Bolt upright, she flung her legs off the side of the bed and hurried to the Time Lord's side. But he wasn't there.

"Doctor?" Pulling the door open, she scanned the corridor. "Doctor!"

Suddenly, she felt Skaldak's thin, scaly hands grab hold of her, hoisting her from her feet. She screamed, but it was no use, she couldn't imagine anyone coming to rescue her. Tugging the back of her dress as he dragged her around, the ice warrior teased her alien protector, who'd come sprinting down the corridor, keeping her in view but not in reach.

"LET HER GO!" A voice was heard. "CLARA!" Her Doctor. He cried out her name over and over until the sound drowned her and was replaced by her whimpers. And there again was his voice, but it was softer, like a comfort. Calm and soothing.

"Clara? Clara, can you hear me? Wake up"

She felt his hand upon her forehead, coaxing her eyes to open, and flinched away from his touch.

"It's ok"

"No it's not ok! Where the hell were you?!" She scowled, punching his shoulder as she eased herself to sit up beside him. "You just sodded off and left me!"

"Ow, there's no need for-" Rubbing his new bruise, he paused, looking curiously at her. "What? I've been here the whole time"

"You have?"

"Cross my hearts" Criss-crossing his twin beats, he regarded her. "You looked distressed - were you having a nightmare?"

"I guess… I guess I was" Her brown eyes widened with fear at the memory. "I thought Skaldak had captured me"

The Doctor, there to, indeed, be her protector, wrapped his arms around her small frame. "It was just a silly, meaningless dream, and it's all gone now… you're perfectly safe right here with me"

Clara felt his palm ghost over her back, soothing away the fear. It was so nice to then hear the old alien begin to whisper in her ear. It was a strange language, and she was confused why she couldn't understand it… _'Must be Time Lord'_ she assumed, since she'd been told it didn't translate. He sounded sweet talking in his native tongue, and she enjoyed the syllable shapes, calmed by the tempo he spoke at.

It was a Gallifreyan poem of guarding the ones you hold dear to your hearts, and he recited it beautifully, resting his lips occasionally into her hair at each pause.

"I'd like to lay down now"

"Of course" He let her ease back and she watched him through her big brown eyes. "Are you ok?"

"Yea" But she frowned, reaching up to stroke his arm. "I'm sorry I punched you"

"A bruise can heal, though I'm more concerned about you - are you sure you're alright?"

Clara rolled her eyes, dramatically. "Yes! Now, come here" She beckoned with a cheeky smile and spread her awaiting arms.

He gasped, closing her limbs again and held her hands to her lap.

"Not like that, you fool! Just lay down with me"

He grumbled in protest, though he knew he wanted to be there to protect her again should she have another nightmare, and quickly obeyed, lying flat on his back, a few inches from her for lack of awkwardness. He was so asking for separate rooms next time they materialise on a submarine.

"For a man who protests as much you do, you're easily swayed" She observed, slowly stroking a lapel.

"Shut up!" He softly swatted her hand and flung himself onto his side, facing the room away from her, denying her seeing his flushed expression.

"Night" She whispered, sneakily snuggling her arm around his waist, which she felt him take hold of, invitingly, and entwined his fingers between hers. Smiling to herself, she was chuffed that she'd won him over for a little cuddle.

* * *

The Time Lord sensed time had passed another four hours as he stirred awake, feeling the girl behind him brush her silken fingertips along the inside of his wrist. He'd been enjoying it too much that he didn't want to let her know as she may have stopped, but she moved her fingertips to his palm, drawing circles and curves, to which the Doctor first thought was her attempt at writing his language.

There was a huge risk to be taken if he wanted to do what sprang to mind, and he slowly held her hand so not to startle her. Clara froze before trying to pull her hand away, but he held on tight.

"Relax"

And she soon did.

Starting at her little finger, he slowly drew a line to her thumb. Curling over her palm, back down to the base of her wrist, he brought a semi-circle around the edge of her palm to reach her middle finger, to then dip in a curl to her palm again and round to her thumb once more. Adding a single dot here and a double dot with a line through them elsewhere, he then stopped, entwined his fingers with hers and held their hand to his hearts.

She had no idea what he'd written or told her, but she felt a glow in her heart that he'd, in some way, marked her body.

"What was that?" She mumbled in a tentative voice.

"Gallifreyan"

"What did it say?"

He sighed, contented and possibly a little smug. "A word"

She chuckled, quietly. "I gathered"

"Well then"

"What word was it?"

The old alien rolled over to face his young companion, keeping a little less distance from their bodies as his confidence kicked up a gear, and wrapped his arms around her. "Hello"

"Hi"

He smiled. "No, the word was… hello"

"Oh" It dawned on her, and she smiled back at him. "Can you teach me?"

"You want to learn? It's one of the most complicated languages in the universe, in all of time"

"I'm clever" She shrugged.

If it kept them from awkward silences, small-talk and nightmares, he was going to teach her a few new words tonight.

* * *

"What was that one?"

"I cheated - it wasn't exactly a word. More an emotion" He was sat against the wall and his legs stretched out along the bed with Clara perched upon his lap. She'd been taught thirteen words by this point and was eager to learn more.

"Um… fear?"

"Nope, a happy emotion"

"Happy?"

The Doctor chuckled at her trying to be smart. "No, but it makes people happy"

"Surprise?"

"Try again"

Her shoulders shrugged and her hand took hold of his before mimicking what she thought she felt him draw on her palm. "I give up; what emotion was it?" She felt his hand quiver a little and heard him gulp as she ended the imaginary image with a curl to his index finger, placing a couple of dots by it.

"… Love"

Clara looked at him, pleasantly surprised he'd given her something so sweet to learn. "Oh…" The other words were objects in the room and her name, but this grabbed her attention.

Hearts pounding in his chest, he gently took her hand again and traced something else. It was longer, more complicated than anything else she'd just been taught, and the tracing didn't end at her palm, it journeyed across her wrist, almost meeting her elbow, when suddenly he stopped to watch her reaction, bringing her palm to his cheek.

While only a few seconds passed, his patience ran out. "Do you know what I wrote?"

She began to shake her head, but he took hold of her temples in his fingertips to steady it, tracing the image once again but slower into her skin by her eyes. As if she heard his voice inside her mind, she was shown the words…

"You love me?!" She quickly shifted off his lap in shock. Clearly seeing him blush, despite the dim light seeping through the frosted window from the corridor outside, Clara stammered her next question, trying hard to understand. "Like… with feelings and- and all those emotions you hide away?" Her brows furrowed for a second to think it over, watching the Doctor.

He couldn't even brave himself to interrupt or reply, hoping this night would hurry and get over and done with now he'd scared the life out of his companion.

Straightening her dress over her knees, she fixed her curls behind her ear and sat cross-legged opposite him at the end of the bed, asking him again, "You love me?"

The Time Lord nodded a hesitant nod.

"You actually, properly, love me?"

"Yes"

"As a friend?"

"Yes, of course as a friend, but-" He moved himself towards her, took her hands in his and confessed, "I love you Clara"

The feisty, impossible girl was slightly annoyed at him for springing it on her like this, and she frowned, needing to challenge him if she couldn't understand him. "If you're just taking the piss 'cause you're bored now that we're awake-"

"I'm not, I promise" He leaned over her, gauging whether she'd accept what he was about to do, watching her only inches from her lips, waiting for her to push him away or jump from the bed.

But she didn't move; frozen to the spot, she simply stared at him. He thought that was better than being punched or her bolting, so his hand took her cheek. Somehow, somewhere deep inside, something told him that she wanted this too, by the way her eyelids closed, seemingly in bliss.

"I wouldn't do that to you" His warm breath tickled her lips, and he felt the slight softness of hers as he tried to kiss her.

"Wait" Placing her hands against his chest, halting his next move, she almost begged him, "I want you to be sure"

"Sure of what? Of how I almost die each time we say goodbye, that I skip forward a week so I never miss you, or how these eyes leave me giddy, how that smile takes my breath away… or how I've wanted to kiss you since the moment I stood at your front door in that ridiculous robe"

Clara's head spun with all she'd just heard. She knew she had a crush on the Doctor, this fantastical madman in his snog-box, even with his chin and his bowties.

Her fingers curled the edges of the lapels she instantly had hold of, and pulled him towards her, letting lips finally meet lips.

* * *

Half an hour had ticked by when they heard a deep voice calling along the corridor.

"Doctor?"

They ignored the occupant, busying themselves with each other.

"Doctor, are you awake?"

Frustratingly, a firm knock accompanied the voice that came through the door, instantly breaking the smooching, giggling pair apart. The man in question leaped from the bed, opening the door to be greeted by a smiling, bearded face.

"Ah, you are awake, wonderful. I came to inform you that we've located your ship" The Captain announced, and only then noticed the Doctor's flustered expression. "Everything alright in there? No more aliens I hope…" He brushed past the Time Lord to check inside the room, and quickly took a step back outside, overcome with the heat of a pair of warm, red cheeks of his own. "Oh, ok. I see - very well then"

"It's not what you think!" The blushing alien tried the oldest lie in the book.

"I can assure you it's none of my business to think anything" The Russian gentleman gave an awkward salute. "Goodnight sir" Hurrying away along the corridor, he did his best to ignore whatever was going on in his submarine.

Throwing his hands to his face through sheer embarrassment, the Doctor knew it'd get even worse once he walked inside to confront Clara again, and thankfully she'd already huddled her dress-less body under the blanket as he entered.

"I am so sorry" Sonicing the door to lock it, he turned to join his human and expected an earful, but instead, the tiny brunette flung the blanket over him, dragging his body atop of hers again.

"Don't be - it's exciting getting caught" She told him, in-between kisses.

"Then why do I feel ashamed?"

"Because you're far too innocent" She gave his behind a sneaky squeeze, hearing the mumbled appreciation from his lips, and she winked. "But we'll soon fix that"


End file.
